- Tom Flanigan Con's Canadians on Gun Registry Vote

Tories tar long-gun success by 'swinging too hard' on torture, Jane Taber
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/tories-tar-long-gun-success-by-swinging-too-hard-on-torture/article1372213/Tab 21

Flanagan would say that the Con's have won the registry battle, no matter what happened. This is just another example of "it doesn't have to be true, just plausible". It is simply to try to convince true conservatives that Harper really hasn't abandoned real conservative values.

The Free vote allowed by Ignatieff means that Parliament won, at least with respect to those Canadians represented by the Opposition.

How can the Harper government claim victory when it was a private member's bill. Surely the Harper Government could have introduced the Bill and part of their official agenda. Everyone, especially true conservatives, should take note of this. It clearly represents a backing away of true conservative values for the sole purpose of maintaining power.

Van Loan suppressing the firearms commissioner's report on the gun registry before the vote on the gun registry means that, once again, truth, honesty and good government have lost out.

Nothing can be read from 8 Liberals voting to have long guns taken out of the Gun Registry. Nor can anything, legitimately, be taken from Ignatieff encouraging his caucus to vote together against it. This is a free vote and it is not to get rid of the Gun Registry, but only a part. In '04 I ran as a Liberal candidate and one of my "local platform planks" was to have the Gun Registry reviewed with a purpose of distinguishing between the urban centres and rural areas. No one in the Liberal Party ever suggested that I might be 'breaking ranks'. If I were an MP now I would likely vote for the Bill, and at no time consider it as 'breaking ranks' or somehow being unfaithful to the Party leader. The Liberal party is dedicated to open, transparent discussion of ideas. It is Harper that suppresses Con MPs. The Canadian political landscape would be a very barren, hostile, dark and distorted place if all Canadian expected all political parties to act the same way Harper and the Cons do.


Lloyd MacIlquham cicblog.com/comments.htm